The government of the United States announced the addition of more questions to the citizenship exam, a measure that is part of a series of reforms pushed by the administration of Donald Trump aimed at toughening the legal immigration process.
The new exam reinstates the 2020 version, implemented during Trump’s first term and later rescinded by Joe Biden, who argued that the changes imposed unnecessary obstacles for those seeking to obtain U.S. citizenship.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the federal agency that manages citizenship applications, the new test will be in effect for those who submit their applications starting in mid-October.
What the questions will be
The civics education exam will require applicants to study a set of 128 questions about U.S. history, government, and political system; during the evaluation, candidates must answer 12 out of 20 oral questions correctly, selected at random. Previously, the version used since 2008 required correctly answering 6 out of 10 questions from a total of 100.
“U.S. citizenship is the most sacred in the world and should only be reserved for those who fully commit to our values and principles,” stated Matthew Tragesser, spokesperson for USCIS. He added that the measure represents the “first of many changes,” noting that the goal is to ensure that “those who become citizens are fully assimilated and contribute to the greatness of the United States.”
Among other requirements, those wishing to naturalize must have been lawful permanent residents for at least three or five years, depending on their particular situation.
Additionally, they must demonstrate basic English proficiency, as well as fundamental knowledge of U.S. history and political functioning.
The civics exam—which is conducted orally and without multiple-choice options—will include new questions related to the 10th Amendment, the Federalist Papers, former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and historical figures such as Alexander Hamilton and James Madison.
It will also include questions about key innovations in U.S. history. Individuals over 65 years old with more than 20 years of residency may opt for a simplified version of 20 questions and will have the option to answer in their own language.
Those who fail the exam will have a second chance. If they fail again, their citizenship application will be denied.
Other changes to obtain citizenship
Along with these changes, the U.S. government has reinstated the practice known as “neighborhood checks,” which involves sending officials to interview neighbors and coworkers of applicants to validate their eligibility.
This measure had been discontinued for several years and is part of a stricter review of applicants’ backgrounds, as well as an expansion of criteria regarding “good moral character,” a mandatory requirement to advance in the naturalization process.
Additionally, USCIS has instructed its officers to closely examine applicants’ social media activity to detect any “un-American” expressions.
According to internal memos, this instruction applies not only to citizenship applications but also to those for green cards and work permits.
The toughening of the process has drawn criticism from immigrant rights organizations. For Jennifer Ibañez Whitlock, policy advisor at the National Immigration Law Center, the new rules only “make it harder for long-term residents, who contribute to this country every day, to access the permanent protections that citizenship provides.”
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